Please help!!! DO on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Anyone got Ativan?

[jbod34]

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I didn't know where to post this but hopefully this will work. I am a 3rd year DO getting ready to apply for an ED residency. I didn't do well on the COMLEX and don't plan on taking the USMLE step I although the jury is still out on USMLE Step II. I'm scheduled to take the COMLEX step II in Aug. I am a little concerned that my application isn't that strong b/c I barely passed COMLEX step I due to some personal reasons out of my control. I really want to match to an MD program and am scared that I don't look competetive enough. I have narrowed my list down to about 22 schools.
I am wondering if I should just bag the whole residency match this year and just apply for a DO internship to try and "pad" my app for next year. If I get a DO internship near my top choice for the allopathic match maybe I can get my name and face out there and at the same time fulfill the AOA approved internship requirement for those 5 special states.

Anyone have any suggestions?? I am probably stressing WAY too much about this but the last thing I want to do is wast my time and money not to mention the time of the residency programs by applying to places I have no business in.

Also, any thoughts of the quality of the DO ED programs? My concern is that they are not as well funded and the opportunities are less than the MD ones.
Thanks so much!!!

 

[Hard24Get]

I didn't know where to post this but hopefully this will work. I am a 3rd year DO getting ready to apply for an ED residency. I didn't do well on the COMLEX and don't plan on taking the USMLE step I although the jury is still out on USMLE Step II. I'm scheduled to take the COMLEX step II in Aug. I am a little concerned that my application isn't that strong b/c I barely passed COMLEX step I due to some personal reasons out of my control. I really want to match to an MD program and am scared that I don't look competetive enough. I have narrowed my list down to about 22 schools.
I am wondering if I should just bag the whole residency match this year and just apply for a DO internship to try and "pad" my app for next year. If I get a DO internship near my top choice for the allopathic match maybe I can get my name and face out there and at the same time fulfill the AOA approved internship requirement for those 5 special states.

Anyone have any suggestions?? I am probably stressing WAY too much about this but the last thing I want to do is wast my time and money not to mention the time of the residency programs by applying to places I have no business in.

Also, any thoughts of the quality of the DO ED programs? My concern is that they are not as well funded and the opportunities are less than the MD ones.
Thanks so much!!!

If you didn't do well on the COMLEX due to personal issues, why not try to prove it by taking the Steps and acing theM???

 

[OSUdoc08]

I didn't know where to post this but hopefully this will work. I am a 3rd year DO getting ready to apply for an ED residency. I didn't do well on the COMLEX and don't plan on taking the USMLE step I although the jury is still out on USMLE Step II. I'm scheduled to take the COMLEX step II in Aug. I am a little concerned that my application isn't that strong b/c I barely passed COMLEX step I due to some personal reasons out of my control. I really want to match to an MD program and am scared that I don't look competetive enough. I have narrowed my list down to about 22 schools.
I am wondering if I should just bag the whole residency match this year and just apply for a DO internship to try and "pad" my app for next year. If I get a DO internship near my top choice for the allopathic match maybe I can get my name and face out there and at the same time fulfill the AOA approved internship requirement for those 5 special states.

Anyone have any suggestions?? I am probably stressing WAY too much about this but the last thing I want to do is wast my time and money not to mention the time of the residency programs by applying to places I have no business in.

Also, any thoughts of the quality of the DO ED programs? My concern is that they are not as well funded and the opportunities are less than the MD ones.
Thanks so much!!!

It seems quite obvious that you should take the USMLE Step II.

 

[RayF]

Having backup plans is a sign of a good doctor.. especially EM doctor. I see you already have the AOA thing and USMLE II in mind. That's good.
HOWEVER.. being on the edge of a nervous breakdown is NOT a sign of a good doctor, especially EM doctor!!
I think the most important attribute we get out of med school, is to learn how to adapt, plan, think ahead, multi-task, and work hard w/o stressing or feeling that we are doing something extraordinary... It's what we do.
A wise man once told me: ENJOY THE DOING, NOT THE DONE.

ray

 

[DrQuinn]

Bro (or sis). Relax. Its not that big a deal. Its not like you can change the past anyways.

Do audition rotations. If you haven't set any up, DO IT NOW! Get strong LOR's. Kick butt on your rotations to SHOW everyone that numbers aren't everything and that you ARE a good student and applicant.

Take USMLE Step 2 if you want, it wouldn't matter to me, I suppose. Remember that thankfully (for you), many allopathic EM PD's can't really interpret the COMLEX, its not that easy to read (and I've taken it myself!).

Just kick butt the rest of your time before the Match!

Don't plan on using the DO internship to make you more competitive. Remember that it can casue a problem with funding....

Basically, go for the gold bro, don't give it up yet.

Q

 

[jbod34]

Hey guys. I appreciate the advice. I am truely not that worked up about it. What I failed to mention is that I'm 8 1/2 months pregnant and I was having a hormone storm when I started the thread. Very sorry for that. If you haven't experienced it yourself or in your patients yet placenta brain can be very overpowering. So now that I'm thinking clearly I'm back to my laid back self. What happens happens and I'll roll with it. I am anxious to just get the show on the road. Thank you all for your great advice!! 😎

 

[DrQuinn]

Fear not! The match and the whole process is indeed very stressful, and we as DOs know it is an uphill battle. But don't worry about it. Thousands of DOs have done it before you, so you can do it too! Good luck with the pregnancy!

Q

 

[corpsmanUP]

I hear you sista! Last year was my match year in EM as a DO and it was a long, painful one! Anyone here can tell you that I was just like you and all the other 3rd/4th year students who felt like their lives were hanging in the balance. It all works itself out in the end. With your stats though, it would seem you need to cast a wider net even if you don't like more than 22 programs. I had pretty decent stats and applied to over 40, and still only got interviews at 3/4 of them. I would say apply to 50+ and wait to be surprised by many of the programs you previously cared nothing about. Hell, I could never have told you that I was going to end up in these rolling corn fields at the University of Iowa, but I ranked it high after a surprisingly good interview! I only interviewed there because I had talked with someone who knew someone who heard from someone that they were an upcoming program. It turned out to be very correct.

I can tell you that my program looks at the entire picture, and that scores are only a tiny portion of that.

 

[allendo]

I hear you sista! Last year was my match year in EM as a DO and it was a long, painful one! Anyone here can tell you that I was just like you and all the other 3rd/4th year students who felt like their lives were hanging in the balance. It all works itself out in the end. With your stats though, it would seem you need to cast a wider net even if you don't like more than 22 programs. I had pretty decent stats and applied to over 40, and still only got interviews at 3/4 of them. I would say apply to 50+ and wait to be surprised by many of the programs you previously cared nothing about. Hell, I could never have told you that I was going to end up in these rolling corn fields at the University of Iowa, but I ranked it high after a surprisingly good interview! I only interviewed there because I had talked with someone who knew someone who heard from someone that they were an upcoming program. It turned out to be very correct.

I can tell you that my program looks at the entire picture, and that scores are only a tiny portion of that.

Also, remember you are a D.O. and there are some good D.O. em programs!